Stories from 1 October 2008
Bermuda: Party or Government?
As a major announcement to the public is made from the governing party's website rather than “through official channels”, Vexed Bermoothes says: “In most democratic countries, strict separations between Party and Government exist as a control to ensure that Public power is not applied to Political ends. Blurring those lines...
Jamaica: Poetry Rubric
A rubric for assessing poetry? Jamaican Geoffrey Philp is working out the parameters.
Japan: Being a Geisha in the blog age
One of the most ancient professions in Japan, geisha are masters of all kinds of skills, from music to poetry, and from traditional dance to conversation. But today's geishas do more than this. Just as geisha in ancient times noted down everyday happenings and thoughts in their diaries, modern geisha artists today write diaries as well. Nowadays, however, they are also able to share them with their clients and fans, by posting them at their blogs.
The Balkans: Against “Balkanization”
Hudin thinks it's time to stop using the word “Balkanization”: “Of course we don't say USSRization, Czechoslovakization, British Empirization, or even Austro-Hungarization. No, we say Balkanization and we say it too much.”
China: Selling out patient privacy to the milk industry
Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated a local report from Mirror about milk industry's promotion strategy – by buying pregnant woman's personal data from hospital.
Japan: Key issues of general election
Niphonese translated a blog post from Economist-blogger Kazuhide Uekusa on three key issues of the forthcoming general election.
South Korea: Counter Armed Forces Day parade
Today (October 1) civic organizations in Seoul will hold a counter armed forces day parade, Seoulidarity has translated some background information about the action.
China: Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales meets China's censors
Rebecca Mackinnon from Rconversation blogs about Jimmy Wales recent meeting with Cai Mingzhao, Vice Director of China's State Council Information Office – the government body whose “Internet Management Division” is in charge of censoring online content.
Japan: Photos of Shizuoka's Secluded Omori Station
At The Wonderful World of Stations, blogger naka_premium showcases photos [ja] of Omori Station in Kawanehon, Shizuoka Prefecture (Japan). The blogger explains that people used to come to Omori Station to do construction work nearby, but that work has ended and the station, which has no houses or roads nearby,...
Armenia: Intrigues and Scandal
Unzipped comments on the latest intrigues and recent scandal to hit Armenia. They include allegations from a senior member of Armenian Public TV that the bodyguards of a prominent government parliamentarian were responsible for an attack on a cafe which left one dead, and speculation that a regional energy project...
Azerbaijan: Presidential Election Concerns
Following disputed presidential elections in Georgia and Armenia earlier this year, as well as state of emergencies declared in Tbilisi and Yerevan, all eyes are now on Azerbaijan as it prepares to go to the polls. Few expect anything but a second term in office for the incumbent, Ilham Aliyev,...
Japan: Part-time University Teachers among Working Poor
At A Prisoner in the Cave, id:eirene describes a documentary on Tokyo Television exploring the situation of working poor among part-time teachers in Japanese universities [ja]. The documentary introduces the lives of two PhD-holding part-time university teaching staff living on a salary of 100,000 yen/month [around 1000 USD], highlighting differences...
Iran hit by Sandstorms
In recent weeks several Iranian cities in the south and southeast of country faced sandstorms. Several bloggers say that Iranian media did not cover these events, but they provided films and photos in their blogs themselves. Vatanema has filmed a sandstrom in the southern city Ahwaz in the oil rich...
Iran: Iran minister admits holding fake degree
According to news sites and Iranian blogs such as Tavazo [fa], after several weeks of protest and investigations, finally Iran's Interior Minister Ali Kordan has admitted to holding a fake Oxford University degree.Read more here.
Nicaragua: Bands without legal documents receiving sponsorships
Nicaraguan blogger Ingrid Bergman denounces several bands for apparently not having any legal conformation documents and having no problem in spite of this to snag juicy sponsorships. In the blog Sweet Orchid , the author points out local bands such as Milly Majuc , Carga Cerrada and División Urbana are...
Macedonia: War Crimes Charges Against Ethnic Albanian Lawmakers
Foreign Policy Association's War Crimes blog reports on the war crimes charges against two lawmakers from Macedonia's Albanian Democratic Union for Integration.
Ukraine: Ship Seized by “Pirates”
The 8th Circle comments on the pirate attack on the Ukrainian ship: “How do you sail a ship with 30 tanks on board PLUS other military materiel without enough protection to repel a pirate attack? According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s Web site, there were 21 people aboard, including 17...
